A massive spike in power outages across the province is being blamed on an increase in severe weather. B.C Hydro says there has been a 265-percent increase in power outages in the last four years.
In 2017 there were 148 storms throughout the province that knocked out power to 1.8 million customers. Compare that to just 52 storms affecting 323,000 in 2013.
The utility says downed trees and bad weather has accounted for nearly 60-percent of the outages.
The utility’s own meteorologists say power outages are going to become more frequent as the province weathers more extreme weather.
On the plus side, the lights have been back on within 24-hours but the utility says customers should always be prepared for the worst case scenario. That includes having an emergency kit with a flashlight, batteries along with water and non-perishable food on hand.
